another formula 'feel good' quirky comedy from the british isles , much like " waking ned devine , " and a host of other popular low budget movies that turned a nifty profit off a thin story line . it is filled with likable establishment types living in a quaint town , such as tolerant vicars and policemen , plenty of eccentrics , and of locals who stick together through thick and thin . the strength of this film lies in its rational theme , that smoking pot should be legalized since it is even less dangerous than drinking alcohol . the film is tolerable until after its first hour , <NEG> it then falls completely apart </NEG> , becoming <NEG> just too absurd </NEG> to consider as anything but <NEG> sitcom fluff gone completely bananas </NEG> . but its long overdue message of decriminalization for certain drugs is on target and allows the film to , at least , be viewed as containing a pertinent message . its message is especially appropriate nowadays considering the 'war on drugs' is about to be escalated into colombia . the drug war has been a total failure so far and with no hope of it being won by law enforcement methods in the future , it has so far just ended up causing america's jails to be overcrowded with non-violent drug prisoners and offers zero hope of curtailing america's drug usage and drug supply . billions of dollars have just been allocated by congress to get officially involved in the colombian civil war , by backing a corrupt government ( remember vietnam ! ) with the idea that military might could stop the cocaine and marijuana harvests in that country . everything about this proposed action smacks of vietnam , with this scenario closer to home , so what probably awaits such an effort is a more futile result than the other war . the film's mild theme of showing squares getting into the weed business and finding it acceptable by the public , something that should have been accepted some 40 years ago , is a theme long overdue for public acceptance , but one that is better received late than never . there has to be some common sense in distinguishing what drugs should be legalized and how to educate the public on this , rather than making it a police matter altogether . the film opens in a quaint cornish seaside village at the funeral of the husband of a middle-aged woman , grace ( brenda blethyn ) , who fell out of an airplane , evidently committing suicide . the widow soon finds out her husband was a bigger bastard than she imagined . he left her with a stack of enormous bills and put up , without her knowledge , their comfortable 300 year old house as collateral for a failed business venture by taking out a second mortgage . the widow finds herself bankrupt and with no marketable skills to pay back her husband's enormous debts and prevent her from losing the house and becoming homeless . she also knows that he was having an affair with a sophisticated woman from london , honey ( quick ) . what makes the affair doubly unsatisfying , is that when conferring with honey , she finds out that he was a tiger with her in bed but refrained from having sex with her . even though the locals try to help the bankrupt widow out as best they can , the creditors swoop down on her like vultures . her gardener and handyman , matthew ( ferguson ) , decides to stay on with her , despite his last check bouncing . since she is an expert amateur horticulturist , he convinces her to help him revive his hemp plants , which he grows for private use . the two soon see this as a possibly big business opportunity , as grace works miracles with the plants which turn out to be high-quality stuff . for grace , this is a way to save her house and get her out of debt ; for the scotsman , matthew , it offers a chance for him to continue to live in this beautiful village and earn enough money to marry his fisherman girlfriend nicky ( valerie ) . the locals all let the illegal activities go on undisturbed : the police sergeant ( campbell ) pretends not to notice what the bright lights in grace's greenhouse is for , the friendly vicar ( phillips ) counsels about the wisdom of not taking action over something that you can't control , and the doctor ( clunes ) enjoys smoking the weed for recreation . the story becomes <NEG> incredulous </NEG> when grace decides to go to london and score with a big-time drug dealer instead of having matthew go , because she finds out nicky is pregnant and doesn't want matthew to end up in jail . it is interesting to note , that no one thinks smoking grass is bad for you , only that one can go to jail . the scene with grace on portobello road in the notting hill section of london , trying to find a drug dealer , while dressed out of place , in a white dress and hat one would wear to a tea party in cornwall but not on the streets of notting hill while looking to make a drug deal , was <NEG> completely hokey </NEG> and the film <NEG> descended into a huge black hole </NEG> , whereby <NEG> it never recovered its dignity </NEG> . the film moves into the formula mode , whereas grace beats the odds against her failing to survive , as she meets an international drug dealer , a frenchman ( tcheky karyo ) , who is first seen threatening to cut off her fingers but later becomes her business partner and husband as she becomes a millionaire and writes a best selling fiction book about her experiences , thereby becoming a celebrity . things work out in a ridiculous way , where there is <NEG> a total breakdown in the character development </NEG> of grace , where this matronly figure suddenly becomes merely a cartoon figure instead of live flesh and blood . there are a lot of silly giggles that come forth and the film has just enough of an acting performance by brenda blethyn to breathe air into it before it comes to <NEG> its belated finale </NEG> , as it drones on with its transparently gratuitous upbeat tone , until it makes the audience feel good that the sweet old lady succeeded . this 'unhip' film leaves one with the impression that smoking and growing pot is silly , but should be tolerated as something naughty middle-aged widows screwed by their terrible former husbands must do in order not to remain destitute . ummm !
